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Hodges running for at-large council seat

Former Ridgeland Mayor Gary Hodges is running for the at-large seat on Jasper County Council.

Hodges, 60, went into the Air Force in 1971 and retired 20 years later.

“I got involved in local politics in 1995,” Hodges said. “When I got out of the military, I built a house up on Green Street and went to work for J.C. Lewis Motor Company in Savannah. I ran the Mazda dealership. I lived here, I built a house in Lakeview Terrace to start with, and I drove that 45 mile run every day for … almost four years.”

Hodges left J.C. Lewis Motors in May 1995 and began to get involved in county and town politics.

“It just piqued my interest,” he said. “I didn’t run for office until a number of years later.”

Hodges started attending meetings and educating himself, and said county taxes were an issue.

“They weren’t nearly what they are now, but they were still an issue,” Hodges said. He said he got involved and said that the Town itself and the improvements that it needed were the catalyst for everything that has happened since then — from the sidewalks and street lights to Veterans Park.

“Anyone who comes into town has got to admit,” Hodges said, “that this is one of the most charming places that they’ve ever seen.”

Hodges is more than a little upset about the tax increases that have burdened property owners. His campaign slogan is, “Let’s Ax the Tax”.

“I came up with a plan that I will push from day one, and that plan is to present to the County Council an ordinance that would require the county to implement what I’m going to call the ‘5-5 plan’,” Hodges said. “What that basically means is that we will stop the out of control spending. The ordinance would require that we reduce the millage rate by 5 percent each year for five consecutive years. And that will at least get a handle on things and get us going back in the direction we should be going.”

Beyond the taxes, and their reduction, the tax base needs to grow. Hodges says he’s tickled to death to see the growth in the Hardeeville area, noting that Sun City, Hilton Head Lakes and the areas that line the route between the interstate and Hilton Head are growing — and should continue to do so.

“It helps us by growing the tax base, and generates the need for more things like restaurants, more medical offices, more car dealers, more golf courses, anything that grows more jobs,” he said.

“I’m a big supporter of growth and development, and my biggest worry is that if a big developer comes in, they look at five things. Political climate, high taxes, public school system, workforce quality and infrastructure. We need attention in all five areas. And I think if you put all that together in Jasper County, we need to improve,” Hodges said. “We have so much potential because of our location. But we are not maximizing that potential because of those five areas.”